Dear Family and Friends:

Welcome to the 2017 edition of the Lacey Family Digital Christmas Card!  As has become our tradition, we begin our annual letter with the following two observations, which remain true year after year:

First, and as sincerely as it can be said, we give thanks for all of you, our extraordinary group of family and friends.  We are deeply grateful for your love and support, for your laughter, for your stories, and for your joy.  We are appreciative for all the moments we spend with you each year, and look forward to many more in the years to come.

Second, we express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you who take the time to send us cards and letters this time of year.  We take great delight in the photos of you and your families, and in the accounts of your recent adventures.  Each year, our mantle is wonderfully crowded with colorful images of stars, trees, elves, and angels, and adorned with a host of smiling faces.  These cards, and the relationships they represent, are invaluable to us, and add immensely to our Christmas cheer.

And now forward (or back?) to 2017!

As was the case in last year’s letter, we turn first to our beloved Bix.  Following several months of declining health, the old man finally moved on in September.  Bix entered our lives in 2005, about a year before we were married, and was a great source of joy for us every day.  Always thought of as a family member, he was our faithful companion and is deeply missed.  We’ve included a Bix Tribute Gallery with this year’s Christmas Card, which includes some impossibly cute puppy pics, as well as some marvelous photos of Bix in his prime.  In addition, this year’s Christmas Poem is a love letter, of sorts, to our departed friend.

Though certainly of a different order, another loss worth noting this year was the beautiful Cummer Gardens, which sit along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.  We’ve dropped in on the Gardens every summer when visiting Andrea’s family, and since 2013, have taken a photo of the kids in the same spot.  These five photos make up the cover of this year’s Christmas Card (the image takes a few seconds to load, in case you clicked through before it popped up).  To our great dismay, Hurricane Irma devastated the Gardens, as shown in this photo on the Cummer’s website.  We are grateful to report, however, that fundraising is going well, and tip our hats to the Jacksonville community for its dedication to the Garden’s reconstruction.  It is our great hope that this summer we will find the Gardens up and running, once again.

We are also grateful to report that while there have been moments of trial and loss this year, there also have been many, many moments of wonder, joy, and opportunity. 

As a general matter, the Lacey clan remains in good health and good spirits.  And we do not take that for granted.  Aaron’s lower back has nagged at him some this year, and Truman managed to crack a rib recently (horseplay, of course).  But all in all, we are well.  Indeed, Truman seems not to even notice the rib (which we are required to call a “side bone” because Ella finds the word “rib” to be "a bit creepy”).

We did not manage any getaways to remote or exotic locales in 2017, and attribute that largely to Aaron’s work schedule.  He has been blessed with a truly banner year at the firm, which was capped this fall with his selection by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in a federal rulemaking (he assures us that this process is as exciting as it sounds, which we initially took to be a joke, until we realized he was serious).  We’re sincerely glad for his success, but have made clear that the trip to Fiji can only be postponed for so long.  Also, we are still waiting on the Jeep Wrangler.  And the pony.

Though there were no big vacations this year, there were many, smaller outings that proved to be great fun.  Andrea and Aaron were able to get down to New Orleans in January, where they had a wonderful time celebrating their birthdays.  And the whole family made it to Jacksonville this summer (pre-Hurricane), where highlights included trips to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park and Ginnie Springs, respectively.  We also squeezed in a quick trip to Meramec Caverns, which turned out to be a complete delight.  Perhaps the most unique experience of the year was the shortest: the Eclipse.  Because our house was in the Zone of Totality, we stayed home with the kids and watched from the front yard.  All agreed that it was magnificent.

On the personal front, Andrea continues to work wonders with the children, and by “wonders,” we mean “continues to get them out of bed and off to school most days without strangling them.”  There is no question that she is an extreme endurance athlete, and that her sport is patience.  Fortunately, she continues to balance the more intense periods of her day with gardening and landscape design.  Most recently, she completed a proposal for a municipal “Rainscaping Cost-Share Program,” which involves turning our front yard into a raingarden.  Aaron is assured that this is a superb investment of the “spend a dollar and get 75 cents back afterward for approved and documented costs” variety.  Efforts to complete more detailed diligence were met with the suggestion that he “focus on the federal rulemaking.”     

All three of the kids continue to do well, and receive glowing compliments from their instructors on their “spirited nature,” and “creative vocabulary,” and “adequate punctuality.”  The twins are now in the first grade, and have managed to stay lice free through the first half of the year.  You may find it curious that of all the possible achievements for a first grader, this is what we would single out.  What about their improved reading skills, or prowess on the soccer field, or that notable art project, you say?  Yes, that stuff is great.  But have you ever had to delouse three kids?     

When she’s not avoiding lice, Ella continues to excel in most things athletic, with her favorite current outlets being soccer and gymnastics.  Truman, for his part, continues to develop into a man of letters.  He actually “retired” from soccer this year – about half way through the season.  But a quick trip by our Things our Kids Said page demonstrates that his stand-up material is only improving.

August has also has a solid year.  A fourth-grader, he continues to play soccer and baseball, and to participate in a wide range of activities in school.  He also recently started keyboard lessons at School of Rock (Aaron was delighted to hear strains of “Jungle Boogie” emanating from the family upright).  But who needs Mom and Dad to talk about you when you can do so on your own?  Once again, August has prepared comments for the annual Card:

Hello! of course it's me again (August) and I have some things to share.  This year I have been… better than last year.  I am still in PEGS, and my obsession with video games has gotten better. Or worse… Anyway this year was packed with fun and stuff, so yay me!

School this year is also great, as is everything else, but I chose to mention this first because I have two new and great friends, one named Mason and the other Daniel. They both love video games like me, and they also love Minecraft, Geometry Dash, and more. So I play with them a LOT. And school besides that has also been good, with only one new teacher. And if you're wondering my favorite video games are Geometry Dash, Minecraft, FNaF, and I like watching YouTube.

Our house has also gotten better in ways and worse in ways, but I will have to start with the bad news… Bix died. I'm very sad to say that. But some things happen. Some of the good things are Ella and Truman have gotten older so that means clean house! And we have some new neighbors that moved in this year, including my friends Simon, Nora, and Charlie. Well, this summer was just awesome, because we have new neighbors and awesome camps like Manitowa, the traditional one, and some new ones in the Lindbergh District. And I choose not to forget going to Florida, that was also AWESOME!

So that was the year packed with great stuff and fun things. See you next year!!!

Always interesting to see August’s write-up.  Indeed, we learned more in these few paragraphs than we have during months of family meals (also, note to self: watching what on YouTube?).

We leave you this year with sincere wishes for a Merry Christmas, a safe and wonderful Holiday Season with those you hold dear, and great joy and success in 2018.  

Warmest regards,

The Laceys